Introduction
The movie One Special Night has inspired many stories, including several written by me. I have always felt the script was not as good as it could be. I have searched all the movie's credits and I have never found the name of a medical advisor.
Since I am a nurse with extensive experience in Labor and Delivery, some scenes really bothered me.
In that early scene in the hospital, Catherine appears to be in a newborn nursery. Later we learn she's a Pediatric Cardiologist. If those babies were all her patients, that's a lot of babies with heart problems.
If you listen carefully to the scene when Catherine comes to the hospital for Lori and is met by the nurse in the hall. She tells her specifically, Lori has premature separation of the placenta from the womb. It's an urgent situation. Lori is awake which means time was taken to administer a numbing medication into the fluid in her spine - highly unusual
I will admit, the baby was bloody when she was born, more so than normal even for a C-section.
And then there was Jeff coming into the operating room. Where was security? Where did he get his scrubs? A preposterous scene; even back then you needed a code to get the area.
The resuscitation of the baby scene was fake as well. The baby's heart was beating. Catherine tells her partner the rate was 70. All the baby needed was a little oxygen and stimulation; most often done by tickling or flicking the soles of its feet and gentle rubbing of the chest. What Catherine did, resembled infant CPR.
Catherine was correct when she told Lori later, "I didn't do much?"
Then there is the whole sub-plot; the girls' relationship and the separation of the couple.
With all that said, this will be my version the story of Robert and Catherine. They will still have their One Special Night; it will happen differently. You will also recognize dialogue from the movie. I hope you enjoy it.
The Run In
The snow had stopped for now. The city of Arlington was situated in the part of Connecticut which received more than its share of snow each winter. This year it had arrived with a vengeance. Front yards were covered with multiple inches of snow; walks had been cleared leaving walls of snow over two feet high.
A large house sat on the edge of a now frozen lake. A woman exited her front door; she paused for a second; maybe wondering if she really wanted to walk in this frigid weather. She was wearing the proper outfit, warm heavy pants, and a jacket with an extra vest. Her head was covered by a unique hat; flaps extend over her ears. On the ear flaps were a type of headphones. She acted determined and headed for her destination.
It's early in the morning; the café in town has been serving breakfast since six. An older gentleman occupied the window seat looking out on the street. The staff all knew him; his coffee cup was refilled. He made sure he was getting the real stuff, no decaffeinated coffee for him.
He finished his second cup of coffee and bundled up to leave. The steps had been only partially cleared of snow; he walked down carefully. He thumped his fist into the other gloved hand; something was clearly bothering him.
He stepped down the last step right into the path of the lady with the earphones; she was obviously on a mission. He grabbed hold of her to keep her from falling. "I'm so sorry…"
"No, no, sir, it's all my fault. I wasn't paying any attention to where I was going. I'm fine, thank you for catching me."
They went their separate ways. The man got in his car; a large vehicle, definitely made for this winter weather. The woman talked out loud. "You must be more careful, Catherine; the last thing you need is a broken anything."
She obtained her newspaper and returned home to get ready for the day. Catherine's destination that Thanksgiving morning was St. Mary's Hospital. She parked her sport's car in her designated parking spot. She noticed snow flurries had begun as she reached the front door.
Inside, she went to her office and donned a lab coat. An elevator took her to the correct floor. Her walk in the hall of the nursing unit had several people greeting her with, "Hello, Dr. Howard."
Her destination was the Newborn Nursery. "This is a surprise, Dr. Howard. Why are you working today?"
"I knew Dr. Wells had family in town; I told him I would cover the nursery today."
"This cold weather has sent a lot of moms into labor; the nursery is full."
"I see. Any ready to go home?"
"Yes, Baby Adams, he's had a tough time; his heart decelerated right before his birth. He's been here an extra day."
Catherine did the required hand scrub before touching any of the babies. She checked Baby Adams thoroughly; listened to his heart and lungs, even held him close to her ear. She heard nothing that would keep him in the hospital another day. She wrote the discharge order.
With her work completed, she left the unit, giving out a number of, "Have a Happy Thanksgiving," greetings to the staff. She was now in a hurry.
She opened the front door of the hospital. "Oh no, not again, more snow. I must go there. It's not that bad." She hurried to her car and drove as fast as she could to her destination. It was about twenty miles outside the city limits.
Catherine arrived; the sign outside read, Shelby Manor Hospice. It was a beautiful building. She entered the vestibule where she brushed the snow from her coat. She opened the second door and was immediately spoken to.
"Dr. Howard, I was hoping you would come today." Catherine was well known to the staff.
"I need your help. My patient's doctor is delayed by the weather. He wants me to give his patient Morphine."
"Of course I will, Sara." She threw her coat on a nearby chair. "Let me read the order."
Catherine read the name on the order sheet. Marybeth Woodward, and the order, Morphine 2 mg, IV, may be repeated every thirty minutes until chest pain relieved.
"Is the ambulance on its way?"
"Yes, and Marybeth's family is too."
Doctor and nurse hurried up the stairs to her room. "Veronica, you remember Dr. Howard." She acknowledged her with a nod.
Sara continued. "She's going to give the IV Morphine. I'll go down and wait for her family and the ambulance."
"Veronica, do you have everything I need?"
"I do, Dr. Howard. I'll double check the order with you."
They hurried. Catherine could see her patient was clutching her chest. The correct amount of Morphine was diluted in saline. She spoke to the patient. "Mrs. Woodward, I'm Dr. Howard. I'm going to give you the medicine Dr. Hassel ordered; you should feel better very soon. I need your arm."
Marybeth didn't resist. Catherine easily found a vein and wiped the injection site with alcohol. "You will feel a pin prick; don't move." Catherine injected the morphine slowly. Marybeth relaxed her hand on her chest.
"It's working, Veronica."
"Yes, I see."
Downstairs, Marybeth's family arrived right behind the ambulance. Sara greeted them. "Mr. Woodward, your wife needs to go to the hospital. Dr. Hassel will meet her there."
"Dad, what happened?"
"I don't know Lori. I'm going up."
The family followed along with Sara. They arrived as Catherine had finished taking her blood pressure. "Mr. Woodward, this is Dr. Howard. She gave your wife the medicine Dr. Hassel had ordered."
Catherine recognized him immediately. She saw his deep concern and the faces of his daughters; one had a look of horror. The little boy with them was being comforted by the other. "Sir, she's more comfortable now. Sara, is ambulance here?"
"We're here, Dr. Howard."
"Thank goodness, I just gave her two milligrams of IV Morphine; her blood pressure is one thirty-eight over eighty-eight."
"We'll take it from here, Dr. Howard."
She stepped back and the emergency personnel took over. Mr. Woodward spoke. "You're the woman I ran into outside of Murray's this morning, thank you, thank you."
"I'm glad I was here." Catherine stepped to go out the door, she heard.
"Don't leave Catherine. I need you to ride with us. I noticed you drove your Jaguar again. It's a blizzard out there now; you'd never make it home."
"Okay, I'll be down in a minute."
She left the room. Sara followed her. "I'm sorry, Dr. Howard. It's occupied; all our rooms are."
Catherine tried not to show her disappointment. She had so hoped to sit in her husband's old room.
Sara continued. "Thanks for your help with Marybeth. I hope she will make it. Her combination of Alzheimer's and heart disease is usually a very poor prognosis."
They had arrived in the lobby. Marybeth had been brought down by stretcher in the elevator.
"Mr. Woodward, you can follow us; we have a snowplow escort."
"Dr. Howard, are you ready?"
Coming Henry."